2026 Project 365 – Week Thirty

Well, I’m officially declaring Open Enrollment complete. There are still some odds and ends hanging out there, but for the most part the big scary things are done. Whew!
Sunday, July 19^th                   
Everywhere I went, I gathered food to bring home (eggs from our Associate Pastor’s chickens, tomatoes from Dad & Sue’s garden).

Monday, July 20^th                
From the socials Monday evening: So I had a hair miracle this morning & couldn’t wait to get on here & share. I was supposed to wash my hair yesterday morning (it had been a week since my last wash) but I decided to have Unselfcare Sunday & just not mess with it. I pulled it up, put on a shower cap, & took my shower. When I got out I decided I was cute & just put a clip on it & wore it to church. I never took it down & when I got up this morning it was STILL CUTE. So I wore it this way to work. People, I have still not taken it down. Dare I go for day 3?
 

Tuesday, July 21^st   
I did NOT go for day 3. I actually think I could have pulled it off, but my head was VERY TIRED of the hairband.
 

Your weekly zinnias (plus a Two Toned Pinky sighting). These are from the planters on the deck.
 

Wednesday, July 22^nd                  
I do not like carrots. 
 

Thursday, July 23^rd       
Dr. M had rice and gravy with his tomatoes & eggs (plus livermush – they were still frying it when he took the photo). 
 

That evening I had dinner with friends and got this pizza that was called The Fruit of the Woods. It had mushrooms and asparagus, but all I could taste was garlic. I mean, I like garlic, but… Also it was pouring rain when we left the restaurant. My box worked pretty well as an umbrella.
 

Friday, July 24^th   
Sign in the bathroom at my audiologist’s office. Made me laugh. 
 

Saturday, July 25^th   
Progress on my super secret project.
 

I found a rogue rudbeckia in the yard! So cute!
 

I tried adding chopped up home grown tomatoes to the “garlic clove disguised as pizza” but it only helped a little bit.
 

Today I drove to church through a thunderstorm and torrential rain. It felt a little Biblical. When the service was over the sun had come out and we had a sauna situation. But none of those things will keep me from going to my Uncle Bill’s 90^th birthday celebration here in a little bit. And in honor of that, here is a snippet from a dream I had in 2010:

I’m thankful that in my dream last night my mother seemed to be handling her incarceration in the federal pen rather well. My uncle Bill was there too. I don’t know what they did – but I suspect it has something to do with the Brookford Mafia (this is an inside joke) and I want to know where my share of the dirty money is!

Have you had any weird dreams lately? Do tell!

2026 Project 365 – Week Twenty-five

I didn’t go into the office again this weekend! The next two weeks will be very busy again (our new fiscal year starts July 1^st & I need to get all of the benefit changes entered), but after that my super busy season will be over. Then I need to turn my attention to making sure all my processes are documented for when I have my shoulder surgery in September.
Sunday, June 14^th                  
My father was SO PROUD of his innovative solution to keeping his knee brace up. He’s the king of outside the box problem solving.

MY CAROLINA HURRICANES WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!  I still can’t believe it. What in the world! Sometimes dreams really do come true.

Monday, June 15^th              
Just a very happy (and deliriously tired) Canes fan.
 

Tuesday, June 16^th
I ate breakfast, truly I did, but I still found myself with this little snacky snack at 9:30 a.m. on a Tuesday. (Those are MEGA stuffed Oreos.)
 

Wednesday, June 17^th                
Dr. M’s post from Facebook: Ignore the green one that snuck in, these are fabulous blueberries! Meanwhile, thoughts and prayers for Pop and me. His diabetes is out of control, he has severe edema in his feet and calves, and if I can’t get his diet under control, he’s going to need insulin injections. We are at a crossroads I have been dreading since Covid came to town and threw his diabetic friendly supply chain into total chaos. I hate taking things he loves away from him. I have done it already for his own good, but now I need to convince others that they must do the same. I know that they don’t want to see the horrible consequences of runaway diabetes for a 94 year old, but do they understand what is necessary? Only time will tell.
 

Thursday, June 18^th    
Ms. Pinky is living her best life right now.
 

Friday, June 19^th
It’s zinnia summer! Also, the bee balm is out of control in the best way.
 

Saturday, June 20^th   
For today’s BeReal, I did an “unboxing” photo of my latest Happy Givers haul, but I wanted to showcase my ridiculous hair. I look like a banshee or some such. Made me cackle.
 

I am closing today’s post by stealing a post from my niece-in-law – the mom of the two most adorable great-nephews ever. Enjoy!

If you spend enough time with Grayson, you will quickly come to learn, he is not your typical 5 year old. As his teacher has reminded us consistently, “Grayson is not smart, he is gifted”. Grayson also has ADHD like a mad man. Tie this all together and you can see his brain is like a Ferrari engine, with bicycle brakes He has all these profound thoughts, and adult understandings, that his 5 year old brain just can’t keep up with. We are so proud of him in so many ways, and cannot wait to see where he goes in life. Just be warned, he likes to play “dumb” sometimes just to mess with you. While trying to show off his massive brain, his Uncle B asked him “what’s your favorite cloud” to which Gray responded “a raincloud.” And walked away. The second we left, he looked at me and said “Mama, I didn’t tell Uncle Brad my favorite clouds are Cumulonimbus Stratus!” Send help to his Kindergarten teacher  Cause she is in for a wild ride!

2026 Project 365 – Week Twenty-one

Never has a Bug been more excited for a three-day weekend. Oof. Crazypants!
Sunday, May 17^th                 
Every Sunday, my Finch self-care app asks me what I’d like to work on for the week ahead. This week I chose to work on being calm by lighting a candle. People. I think I lit the candle all of two times because my matches wouldn’t work & I had to use the long pointy gun looking lighter and it’s too difficult for me (I’ve let my hands get weak because they hurt – I need to work on that!). Anyway, it did not make me feel more calm.

Monday, May 18^th              
Dr. M says: This month our “gift” box from The Happy Givers (La Fundación Happy), a charity based in Puerto Rico that goes by the motto “Changing the World one purchase at a time,” included a bottle of artisanal Pique! This hot sauce features the Aji Caballero, which the wiki says is the hottest pepper one can use for traditional Puerto Rican Pique. Isn’t it lovely? We donate and in turn receive merchandise from their store. So much fun to see what they have picked out for us!
 
The Bug says: I’m pretty sure we’re never opening that bottle!

Tuesday, May 19^th    
Working late and eating baby Nilla Wafers, as one does.
     

Wednesday, May 20^th               
This week I made myself available at various places in the City to help employees with open enrollment paperwork. I’m pretty sure that more folks came by my office while I wasn’t there than showed up at those locations. Next year I’m staying put!
 

Thursday, May 21^st    
The age of the peony has passed and the age of the daylily has begun!
 

Friday, May 22^nd     
We had a potluck at work for Memorial Day & this is what I brought. I told them that I don’t really approve of “Happy Memorial Day,” but it was the cookie with the most icing on it, so that’s what I got. Also, I wore pearls. 🤷
 

Saturday, May 23^rd   
Ms. Pinky continues to be two-toned.

Since last week, my hearing has gotten much worse. Probably temporarily, due to the cold/allergy I’ve been fighting – my ears are quite stopped up. So I made the bold decision to order hearing aids from Amazon as a stopgap until my appointment with my audiologist (it’s in July!). They arrived last night, and let me just say that our floorboards are WAY creakier than I remembered! I’m excited to see how well they help in the office. I do still plan to get “real” hearing aids – these ones won’t stay in my ears. My dad told me to tape them to my head and it WORKED, but I don’t think I can go around taped up indefinitely. Can I?

2026 Project 365 – Week Four

 
Minnesota is simultaneously breaking my heart and healing it again – all the atrocities and all the people rising up against them. May we see an end to the insanity. Please.

Sunday, January 18^th           
We got nametags on Sunday & we all just automatically put our names on them (my partner-in-crime put hers on upside down & when I took a photo the friend behind her did devil horns which you can’t really see because I am short – did you know I’m short?). Anyway, during her sermon, Pastor Sandi asked us to write on our tags the name we’d like to be known by as a follower of Jesus. I’m not sure what got into me, but I guess these days I can be an agitator.

Monday, January 19^th         
No photo.
 
Tuesday, January 20^th        
I’ve had this little oil heater in my bathroom for a few years now and it just this winter occurred to me to put my undergarments on it to warm up while I’m in the shower. (Photobomb of Ms. Pinky descending into her winter snit mode.)
 

Wednesday, January 21^st           
Elliott had another surgery for one of his conditions related to eating & he had his blanket that I made him which made me smile. He’s such a little trooper.
 

Meanwhile, I walked at the mall in another t-shirt. This one says “Jesus Is The Refugee. The Child in Gaza. The Transgender Co-Worker. The Migrant By The Barbwire. The Kid With No Lunch Money. The Man On Death Row. The Single Mom With Two Jobs. The Neighbor With a Disability. The Friend With An Addiction. How You Treat Them, Is How You Treat Jesus.” 
 

Thursday, January 22^nd  
So a while back I was talking about the Bobly (my car) & said “she.” Dr. M piped right up & said “they.” Which makes sense – while our other car (Daisy) is clearly female, and Dr. M’s dad’s truck (Floyd) is clearly male, we have never assigned a gender to the Bobly. So, nonbinary they are! ANYWAY, I saw this on Threads & shared it with Dr. M. It made me cackle. (Also, Bobly is driving just fine! No issues so far!)
 

Friday, January 23^rd          
Today’s outfit. I wore the ruana I made back in 2017 (go here for better photos – it has a hood!). I am still not at ALL sure of this thing, but it was soft and warm.
 

Saturday, January 24^th    
I follow Shannan Martin and this is from her post on Friday. I had to share it to the socials, where it didn’t really get noticed because algorithm?
 

I’m writing this on Sunday & we’re having a snow day! It was supposed to be a very scary ice event, but so far it’s mainly snow & we still have power. We’ve been worried about Dr. M’s dad (who is an independent cuss) & it looks like the shield around his house is holding firm (he lives in the Laboratory area - it’s so bizarre how this happens!).

The only downside is that I’ll probably have to go to work tomorrow. Ha! What’s the weather like where you are?

2025 Project 365 – Week Forty-nine

Once again it’s Sunday afternoon, and once again I’m writing this with one eye shut, kicked back in my recliner, two minutes away from falling asleepzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Sunday, November 30^th            
Since it was the first Sunday of Advent, we opened up door 1 of Dr. M’s Penzeys Spices calendar. It was a good one!

Monday, December 1^st      
Bugnook of the North, reporting from 45 degree Hickory NC!
 

Dr. M put the tree up! It was a nice surprise when I got home.
 

Tuesday, December 2^nd      
This was the only photo on my phone from Tuesday – a screenshot I took to send to Dr. M. Made me laugh.
 

Wednesday, December 3^rd       
Ms. Pinky is, as ever, two toned.
 

Thursday, December 4^th    
I look like I’m about to tell you to shush in the library. Ha!
 

Friday, December 5^th         
At Thanksgiving we had a bit of a hamtastrophe & the oven was FULL of juice & grease (note: the ham was fine). When I got home from work yesterday an elf named Dr. M had cleaned it all up! The oven hasn’t been this clean since we moved in almost 9 years ago! Thanks sweetie!

Saturday, December 6^th   
I made a baby Jesus, as one does. (Stay tuned for next week’s post to see that he was not exactly the right size for the nativity that I made him for. Oops!)
 

Well, I managed to stay awake until the end of this post. Were you able to stay awake too? Good for us!